2000 Mitsubishi Magna Reviews from Australia and New Zealand

2000 Mitsubishi Magna Advance 3.5 Litre straight 6 petrol

Summary:

This is my first car, it's a brilliant first car; does everything I need it to

Faults:

Has developed a condition where the car veers left, despite the wheels having been aligned.

Used to burn a lot of oil due to my lead-footed driving back in the day. Magna's weren't meant to rev hard according to the mechanic. Because of that, the interior of the car heats up a lot; it's not a good thing, but not a bad thing during winter.

The battery needed to be replaced twice, and had the engine belt and brake pads replaced, but that was due to neglect on my part.

The car has shut down on me twice in the span of a week; once in my garage, and the other time in a shopping mall parking lot. Both times I just wriggled the battery connectors and she started right up again; hasn't happened to me again. This was during the phase where I needed a new battery.

General Comments:

Pros:

Great reliable car; almost everything that's ever gone wrong with it has been due to neglect.

Roomy; has all the gadgets (cruise control, aux input, power windows, great air conditioning, excellent stock sound system) you really want, at a budget which put a lot of these new bubble cars to shame.

Can be nice to your wallet if you drive nicely, and don't rev it too hard.

Nice, angular design; helps it stand out a bit from the Commodores, Falcons, and Camry's.

It is by no means a race car, but it is a solid performer; fast enough when you need it. Can keep up with and even beat the VT Commodores and AU Falcons, but really shouldn't be used for that; it's a family car, that when pushed, burns a lot of oil.

FWD, and driver + passenger airbags are great safety features.

Fits nicely in small/compact car spaces!

Great visibility; the rear window makes it easy to reverse park.

Front + rear cup holders! (if you slide down the middle-rear seat)

Interior quality is nice for the money.

Much cheaper to buy (and I'm told to run) than a Commodore or Falcon.

Aussie-made :)

Cons:

Interior rattles a lot, and can be a bit uncomfortable due to its rocky suspension.

The car has laggy (slow in response) acceleration and braking, which can be a bit bothersome when going uphill; my friend had a hard time getting used to it.

Awful, AWFUL turning circle; it's a real hassle when parking. The turning circle is so bad, that I almost always have to do 3-point turns, when most cars, even bigger cars, can simply do U-turns.

Despite the great visibility, it sometimes feels like a barge. It's much bigger and roomier inside than it seems, which can deceive you when going around tight corners.

This car is not ideal for short people. My girlfriend is about 5'6", and she has a lot of trouble driving it. I'm 6'1", so I'm fine with it, but she says that it feels like driving an SUV that doesn't have a high seating position.

When compared to similar options like the Toyota Avalon, or a Honda Accord (both are friend's cars, so that's how I can back this claim), this car uses substantially more fuel, despite weighing about the same (still uses a bit less than a Commodore or a Falcon).

Doesn't feel well-balanced. The car is so bulky, that going around corners at anything above a snail's pace, often does make a wheel come off the ground, and (while it hasn't happened yet) this makes it feel like it will tip over.

Aussie-made... (meaning servicing costs are generally a bit more than an equivalent Honda or Toyota).

This car is a long-lasting vehicle, but due to it not being a Toyota, Honda, Ford or Holden, it has much less resale value, which is good for buying it, but not very good for selling.

2000 Mitsubishi Magna Sports 3.5L V6 6G74

Summary:

Faults:

General Comments:

I previously owned a 1996 TE Magna for 5 years, and it was a great car. Only broke down once due to a dead battery.

In October 2010, I purchased a July 2000 TJ Sports, and it's much more comfortable to drive, since it's slightly lower, so you feel the road more. And also very good on fuel for a 6 cylinder car; maybe even better on fuel than my previous 3.0L TE Executive.

There is a slight oil leak, but that is not a major issue, as my old TE also had the same issue. This car also has an excellent cruise control, and maintains a constant speed on the highway, even up hills, and the auto transmission has a manual mode, which is excellent for uphill driving at lower speeds, where you can change gears yourself, by simply moving the shift lever the back and forward.

Fuel economy is good, and I get 10.5L per 100km highway and town, and I drive it hard at times.

The ABS brakes are excellent and work to perfection; a very good safety feature to have.

I have driven this car 30,000km in the 20 months I have owned it, and with 163kw and a Sports exhaust, it simply flies, and even though its acceleration is not as quick as the 3.0L from a standing start, it has much more power overall, especially at faster speeds, while the 3.0L would drop off.

Also the 17x7 aftermarket rims, which I used on my old TE for a year before getting my TJ, help vastly with the handling.

Great car, and I'm sure I'm going to be still driving for years to come.